Sickle



July 6, 1954 CQOKE 2,682,704

SICKLE Filed June 24, 1955 Patented July 6, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE SICKLE Roy F. Cooke, Athol, Mass., assignor to Gardeners FriendCompany, a division of R. F. Cooke Mfg. 00., Orange, Mass., acorporation Application June 24, 1953, Serial No. 363,808

1 Claim. (Cl. 30-453) This invention relates to improvements in sickleshaving a cutting edge formed from a plurality of safety razor blades ofwell known form.

The principal object of the invention is the provision in a sickle suchas disclosed in U. S. Letters Patent No. 2,070,190 of February 9, 1937of guard means for the cutting edge of said sickle.

As one feature of the invention, an elongated guard member is pivoted atone end thereof to an end portion of the blade holder or frame of thesickle for swinging between blade covering position and a position awaytherefrom. Said guard member, according to the invention, is

channel shape in cross section whereby to enclose the sharpened edges ofthe razor blades and adjacent portions of the blade holding structure soas to safeguard against injury to the user of the sickle.

According to another feature of the invention, releasable engageablemeans is provided on the guard member and holder or frame of the sicklewhich is adapted to releasably hold the said member in blade coveringposition. It is desirable to releasably hold the guard in blade coveringposition for various reasons as, for instance, while the handle of thesickle is being secured to the frame in its operative position or isbeing disconnected therefrom.

As a further feature of the invention, the guard member is arranged fordisposition, in blade covering position, to lie between the cutting edgeof the sickle and the handle in its closed position and the free end ofthe handle is channeled to snugly receive and embrace the outer free endof the guard member. Thus the handle and guard in their closed positionprovide with the frame or blade holder a compact structure.

The guard member is swingable independently of the handle and while thehandle is swung to and secured in its open or operating position, theguard may remain in blade covering position. Thereafter the guard may beswung away from the blades and its outer end received in the outer endof the handle thus exposing the blades for their function. In thisposition, the outer end of the handle and guard may be grasped in thehand by the user. When desired for storing the sickle, the handle may beleft in its operating or extended position and the guard swung to bladecovering position wherein it is releasably held by the means providedtherefor thereby to obviate injury by contacting of a person with theblades.

All of the above objects I accomplish by means of such structure andrelative arrangements of parts thereof, as will fully appear by aperusal of the description below and by various specific features whichwill be hereinafter set forth.

To the above cited and other ends and with the foregoing and variousother novel features and advantages and other objects of my invention aswill become more readily apparent as the description proceeds, myinvention consists in certain novel features of construction and in thecombination and arrangement of parts will be hereinafter moreparticularly pointed out in the claim hereunto annexed and more fullydescribed and referred to in connection with the accompanying drawingswherein:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a sickle embodying the novel features of theinvention; and

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 2-2 of Fig.1.

Referring now to the drawings more in detail, the invention will befully described.

As in the patent referred to, an elongated holder 2 and an elongatedplate 6 are provided between which are a plurality of safety razorblades 5.

Upstanding pins such as 8 and projections ii of the holder are receivedin holes and slots of safety razor blades 6 as shown. Threaded studs Il-of the holder extend through the plate d and wing nuts It inengagement therewith act on the plate 4 to clamp the blades between theplate and holder. The holder and plate constitute a frame structure.

The holder has an ear I8 at one end thereof and an elongated handle itis pivoted at one end thereof as at 2 to said ear and has an outer freeend 22. Said one end of the holder and an end of the handle are providedwith holes 24 and 26. A screw or bolt is inserted through said holeswith the handle in outer operating or extended position to hold thehandle in said position as shown in Fig. 1 of the patent referred to.

An elongated guard member 39 is provided which is formed from relativelythin metal and is pivoted at 32 to one end of the holder and has anouter free end 34. This guard is arranged to swing between a positionwhere it covers the cutting edge of the sickle, as shown, and an outerposition away therefrom.

The guard 30 is of channel formation transversely so as to overlie thecutting edge and adjacent portions of the holder and plate when incutting edge covering position to safeguard 3 against injury by a personcoming in contact therewith.

The guard 30 is releasably held in position covering the cutting edge orin guarding position by means carried by the outer free end of the guardand end of the holder.

Such means includes an opening 36 in a side wall of the guard and aprojection 38 extending from a side of the plate or holder. In theposition of the guard where it covers up the cutting edge, theprojection snaps into the opening whereby the guard is releasably heldin this position. The guard side is sufliciently yieldable or resilientfor the projection to snap into the opening.

The outer free end 22 of the handle extends into a grip 40 which may beof wood or the like and is secured thereby by such means as rivetsindicated by 42.

The inner side of the grip 40 is provided with a longitudinal groove 43which is arranged to snugly receive the free end 34 of the guard 30.

The guard is shown in Fig. 1 in its position to cover the cutting edgeof the sickle in which position it is releasably held by the meansdescribed and the handle is in its closed position overlying the guardwith the free end of the guard in the groove of the grip.

From the position shown, the handle may be swung to its extendedoperating position and secured therein as described. During thisoperation, the guard may remain in the position shown. As the sickle isused, the guard is swung away from the position shown so that its freeend is received in the groove of the grip.

When it is desired to hang the sickle up or store it, the guard may beswung to its position covering the cutting edge or if desired, thehandle may be disconnected from its operation position and swung ontothe guard.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departingfrom the essential characteristics thereof. Hence, the presentembodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects merely asbeing illustrative and not as being restrictive, the scope of theinvention being indicated by the appended claim rather than by theforegoing description, and all modifications and variations as fallwithin the meaning and purview and range of equivalency of the appendedclaim are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What it is desired to claim and secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates is:

The combination with a sickle provided with an elongated frame having anouter end and a longitudinal cutting edge and a handle pivotallyconnected at its inner end to the inner end of the frame for swingingbetween a closed position over said cutting edge and an open positionaway therefrom of guard means therefor, comprising an elongated guardpivotally connected at its inner end to said frame adjacent the pivotalconnection of the handle and frame and being positioned between the saidframe and handle for swinging independently of the handle between aguarding position and a position away therefrom, said guard beingchannel shape in cross-section having longitudinal side walls and beingadapted for overlying the cutting edge of the frame in guardingposition, releasably engageable holding means carried by said frame andguard and other releasable engageable holding means carried by saidguard and grip of the handle, said releasably engageable means carriedby said frame and guard including a protuberance extending outwardlyfrom the outer end of said frame and an opening releasably receivingsaid protuberance provided in a wall of the guard at the outer endthereof, said other releasable means including a grip fixed to the outerend of the handle provided with a slot extending longitudinally of thehandle having opposite sides arranged to receive and frictionally engageand releasably hold the walls of the guard at the outer end thereof, alladapted and arranged whereby the guard may in its guarding position bereleasably held to the frame and the handle in its closed position maybe releasably held to the guard or in open position of the handle theguard may be released from the frame and releasably held by the handlegrip.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 1,556,788 Hallvarson Oct. 13, 1925 2,070,190 Wells Feb. 9,1937

